Marked
by Shuichi Akai
Summary: Doflamingo finds his younger brother in a worse condition than when they were kids. In his arms was a baby. What had happened to him? [Chapter 4 is up!]
1. Chapter 1

**Marked**

 **Title:** Marked  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** One Piece  
 **Summary:** Doflamingo finds his younger brother in a worse condition than when they were kids. In his arms was a baby. What had happened to him?

* * *

They had only stopped at the island to quickly restock, a Marine ship having been spotted not too far away. Though the Marine ship had been sighted leaving the island, there was still a chance they could've gotten a glimpse of the El Flamenco. If a Vice-Admiral were to be on that ship, they would've been in big trouble.

There was no time to buy personal items like dresses and toys for the kids. They were just supposed to gather all of the supplies and once everything was in the ship, they'd leave.

But for some reason, seventeen year old Doflamingo found himself taking a stroll through town. As he passed by an alley, he heard the sound of a trashcan being knocked over. Curiosity took over and he entered the alleyway.

A young teenager dressed in tattered clothing had accidentally bumped into one of the trashcans. Blood stains could be seen on his clothing. His blonde locks were messed up and wild. The fifteen year old clutched the bundle he held to his chest.

Blue eyes met red ones.

Doflamingo took a step towards him. "Roci?"

The fifteen year old took a step backwards, away from him.

"Rocinante, is that you?" Doflamingo asked, taking another step closer.

The teen backed away even more. However, he ended up losing balance and tripped. Before his back could make contact with the ground, Doflamingo grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. The boy stared at Doflamingo but didn't say a word.

It had been seven years since they had last seen each other, but Doflamingo knew that the boy was his brother. "Roci, come with me to my ship. We'll take a look at your injuries. Judging by your appearance, you haven't had anything to eat,"

A small yawn drew Doflamingo's attention to the bundle Rocinante held. Rocinante turned the bundle and showed it to his older brother, revealing a two year old baby boy. "Ah?" The boy looked up to Rocinante.

Rocinante gently cradled the boy. He looked back to Doflamingo, afraid of how his brother would react.

"Rocinante," Doflamingo said. "The baby can come too,"

XXX

"Young Master," Senor Pink asked. "Who are they?"

"He's my brother," Doflamingo informed. "I'm not sure about his relationship to the child though,"

"Daddy is Daddy," The two year old said.

"What was that?" Doflamingo thought he had heard wrong. His brother was only fifteen years old; his brother couldn't be a father!

"Daddy is Daddy," The two year old repeated.

Rocinante didn't make eye contact with any of the pirates. He just stared down at the floor in shame.

"Mommy mean," The two year old claimed. "Mommy hurt Daddy. Law no like Mommy. Daddy take Law and go away from Mommy,"

"Rocinante," Doflamingo asked slowly. "Who is Law's mother?"

"Daddy no talk,"

That's when Doflamingo noticed the scar along his younger brother's throat.

"Hey Doffy," Diamante passed the newspaper to his captain. "Take a look at the front page,"

 _ **Slave Kidnaps Celestial Dragon Baby!**_

Doflamingo's eyes widened as he read the headline. The image accompanying it looked exactly like Law. "Rocinante, show me your back,"

Rocinante shook his head.

"I'm not asking you," Doflamingo told him. "I'm ordering you,"

Rocinante shook his head once more and attempted to leave. Doflamingo used his strings to keep him in place. He lifted the back of his younger brother's shirt up.

In the center of the younger blonde's back was the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon.

* * *

 **I'm most likely not going to continue this idea and leave it as a one shot. However, if anyone wants to adopt the idea and continue it, feel free to do so.**

 **I am currently working on** _ **Hybrids II**_ **since some people wanted a continuation.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Marked**

 **Title:** Marked  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** One Piece  
 **Summary:** Doflamingo finds his younger brother in a worse condition than when they were kids. In his arms was a baby. What had happened to him?

* * *

Doflamingo had ordered his family to leave them alone. "Roci…"

Rocinante turned away, unwilling to face his brother. Law sensed that his father was feeling nervous and ashamed. "Daddy?"

Rocinante opened his mouth and quietly spoke. "You're…disgusted…" He winced at each syllable.

"No," Doflamingo shook his head. "You're my brother. Why would I be?"

"Less…than…human…" Rocinante whispered, fighting against the tears that were forming.

Doflamingo quickly wrapped his arms tightly around him and the child. "You are _not_ less than human! You are my brother! And your son is my nephew! We're family!"

Rocinante's eyes widened as he let the tears fall. "Doffy…"

Rocinante's stomach growled loudly, causing Doflamingo to chuckle. "Let's get you both patched up, and then you guys can eat,"

XXX

Rocinante's wounds weren't too bad. He had mostly cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The worst injury was the one on his neck. If it had been any deeper, he would've bled out when the vein was cut. But the worst thing overall were the two's malnourishment.

"So," Doflamingo asked. "What would you both like to eat? I'm a pretty good cook, though most of my time it's my crew that makes the meals,"

Rocinante stayed silent, not knowing what to say. He was being given a _choice_. Rather than feeding on measly scraps and trash, he could actually choose what to eat. Law was the one to speak first. "No bread. Bread evil,"

Doflamingo grinned. His brother had always hated bread too, and only ate it when there wasn't anything else to eat. The boy was definitely his nephew. "Then how about some onigiri and cabbage rolls? Roci, you love cabbage rolls,"

Rocinante silently nodded. Doflamingo stood up and headed to the kitchen to quickly prepare the meal. After a few minutes, Doflamingo came out with two plates, one with onigiri and the other with cabbage rolls. He set the dishes in front of his younger brother and nephew. Rocinante hesitantly reached out for an onigiri, but then pulled his arm back. He flinched, afraid that he was going to get hurt for trying to take the food.

Doflamingo noticed this and reassured his brother. "It's okay, Roci. You can eat. No one will hurt you here or they'll have to deal with me,"

Rocinante slowly and shakily reached for the rice ball again. He picked it up and reluctantly took a small bite. After chewing and swallowing, he wanted to stuff himself as fast as he could, as if it was going to be his last meal. However, he restrained himself and offered the onigiri to his son.

Law happily took a bite. "Yummy!" He noticed a small reddish lump inside and plucked it from the center of the onigiri. Chomping down on it, his lips pursed and he spat it out. "Yuck!"

"I take it that Law doesn't like umeboshi?" Doflamingo asked.

Rocinante gently patted his son's back. He took the remaining umeboshi out of the onigiri, eating them while giving the rest of the rice ball to Law. Law happily began to nibble on the onigiri. Rocinante smiled softly and started to eat a cabbage roll.

"How did you get captured?"

Rocinante tensed up. He swallowed the remaining food in his mouth and quietly answered, "Nice…people…" He winced with every word.

"Hold on," Doflamingo took out a notepad and a pen. "Use this to write with. Don't force yourself to speak if it hurts,"

Rocinante nodded and messily began to write. **"A group of people took me in and we went to Cocoyasi Village. Everyone was nice. Bellemere and I were playing in the woods. Separated. Slave traders caught me. Celestial Dragons—"** Tears started to fall as the memories began to resurface. His hand started to tremble. **"Recognized and bought…"**

Doflamingo wrapped his arms around his younger brother and nephew. "I won't let them take you or your son away. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore, Rocinante!"

XXX

On a Celestial Dragon ship, a woman was angrily pacing around. "How long does it take for the World Government to locate one man!?" Her hands curled into fists. "I want that bastard found! That slave shall be tortured and slowly killed for kidnapping my son!"

* * *

 **Would you like a third chapter?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Marked**

 **Title:** Marked  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** One Piece  
 **Summary:** Doflamingo finds his younger brother in a worse condition than when they were kids. In his arms was a baby. What had happened to him?

* * *

 _Chains. They was a pile of them in the room. He had a bomb collar around his neck and shackles around his arms and wrists. A group of people grinned evilly down at him, each holding a weapon. A chain had been one of those weapons and was used as a whip, slashing against his unclothed back._

 _He screamed. He begged them to stop, that he'll do anything. They only howled in laughter at his pain. He screamed even louder as the glowing hot brand was slammed against his back. He was pinned to the ground and they applied even more pressure. The Hoof of the Soaring Dragon would be a permanent mark._

 _"Rocinante!"_

 _He heard a faint voice calling his name over his screams._

 _"Rocinante, wake up!"_

Rocinante's eyes flew open, sweat coating his palms and forehead. Doflamingo had his arm on his shoulder with a concerned expression. "Ro—"

"No!" Rocinante cried out, pushing him away and crawling off the bed and towards the corner of the room. "Stop! Please! I-I'll be good! Please stop!"

"Roci," Doflamingo called softly, picking up Law who had also been woken up by the screams.

"P-Please…s-stop hurting me…" He curled up into a tight ball, eyes clenched closed as if he were bracing for an attack. "Stop…please…I g-give up…I-I'll…do whatever…you say…Please…stop…"

"Shh," Doflamingo knelt down beside his brother. "It's okay Roci. You're not in Mariejois anymore. You're on the El Flamenco. Open your eyes,"

Rocinante hesitantly did so. "D-Doffy?"

"Mommy go bye-bye," Law assured his father, having most likely dealt with the situation during previous nights.

"S-Safe?" Rocinante asked through the pain from his throat.

"You're safe," Doflamingo said. "Law's safe. You're both safe,"

Rocinante put a hand to his face, trying to block his tears from their view. "Safe….safe…safe…"

Doflamingo carefully handed Law to Rocinante who hugged him tightly. Placing an arm beneath his brother's knees and the other to support his back, he picked him up and set him on the bed. Doflamingo noted how light Rocinante was, even when holding Law. They both needed to eat more.

"S…Stay…" Rocinante pleaded, grabbing his older brother's wrist. "P…" He hissed as his throat began to hurt even more. "P…lease…"

Doflamingo sat down on the edge of the bed and gently cradled his little brother's upper body, the latter still holding the baby. "Shh, I'm not going anywhere Rocinante. I'll stay with you both. When you wake up, let my presence will remind you that you're safe now. You're free,"

* * *

 **I'm thinking of somehow having a final battle between pirates and the World Government to end the Celestial Dragons' rule, but the idea is still tentative. I'll have to somehow incorporate strong pirate crews into the story.  
For me, school starts on Monday and I have French class this semester. If I'm struggling with French, I might not be able to work much on my stories but I'll still do my best to work on them from time to time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Marked**

 **Title:** Marked  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** One Piece  
 **Summary:** Doflamingo finds his younger brother in a worse condition than when they were kids. In his arms was a baby. What had happened to him?

* * *

His brother and nephew mostly stayed in their room. Every single night, Rocinante would try to stay awake but eventually he would fall asleep and a few minutes later, he would reawaken due to nightmares. Doflamingo decided to just stay by his brother's side as he slept, which worked in keeping away some of the nightmares.

Doflamingo tried to get his brother used to the other members of his family, but Rocinante wouldn't trust them. Doflamingo couldn't blame him, after all the younger Donquixote had been put through hell for over two years. He knew how the slaves were treated, having been a slave owner himself when they were Celestial Dragons much to his parents chagrin.

 _His parents._

Doflamingo felt himself fill with mix emotions as memories of his parents resurfaced. _'What would Mother think if she saw me now? What would she think of Rocinante's situation?'_ He bit his lower lip, glad that he was in the solitude of his room so that he could express emotions he deemed weak when shown to others, even if they were his family. _'I'm Rocinante's older brother. I should've been there to protect him!'_

 _He pulled the trigger, lodging a bullet into their father's skull. Donquixote Homing slumped to the ground, a large puddle of blood already forming. Rocinante was sobbing loudly, some of the crimson having gotten onto his clothes. Rocinante continued to cry as Doflamingo chopped their father's head off. Without sparing a glance at Rocinante, he headed for Mariejois, determined to get his title as a Celestial Dragon back._

He had left his younger brother alone; his poor, weak, defenseless, younger brother. He knew that the villagers weren't too far away and were out for their blood. He knew that his younger brother wouldn't survive. Yet, he had still left him, filled with the selfish greed for power.

What kind of big brother was he?

XXX

Rocinante sat beside his son as the two year old slept. Law was peacefully dozing, hands tightly holding onto a large polar bear plushy. Doflamingo had gotten it for Law when he went into town a few days ago and Law had immediately fallen in love with the stuffed animal. He would never let the polar bear go whether he was eating or sleeping. He would cry if the stuffed animal was out of sight when he was being bathed.

 _'I shouldn't have brought you with me…'_ Rocinante thought, gently running a hand through his son's hair. _'In Mariejois, you would never go hungry or thirsty. You would never suffer injuries. You would have all the toys in the entire world if you wanted,'_

"Roci, Law, I brought some fruits and crackers," Doflamingo entered the bedroom and realized that his brother was crying. Setting the tray down on the table, he sat beside his brother. "What's wrong?"

"I'm…bad…father…" Rocinante didn't take out his notepad and pen and instead spoke to the older Donquixote.

"You're not a bad father, Rocinante," Doflamingo told him. "You care about Law. You even went against a Celestial Dragon for him. What makes you think you're a bad father?"

"Same…rea…son…you…did…" Rocinante's face scrunched up in pain and he finally took out the notepad and pen.

"I don't think you're a bad father," Doflamingo was confused as to where he got that assumption from.

Rocinante quickly scribbled something down in response. **"You thought our father was a bad father,"**

Doflamingo frowned as he recalled their past. "You're different—"

Rocinante held a hand up to silence Doflamingo and then wrote a list down. **"I took my son away from Mariejois just like Father did with us and Mother. Both we and Law were forced to leave behind the comforts and riches of the Holy Land. You, Father, Mother, and I barely ate and had to dig through trash or steal for food. I had not a single beri on me after fleeing and I was in no condition for work. I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun store owners if I stole so Law and I survived on trash. Mother died because of the poor conditions we lived in. Law and I were extremely malnourished when you found us. My own son would've died if you had showed up a few days later! If Father hadn't taken us out of Mariejois, we wouldn't have experienced starvation and pain. Mother would've still been alive. We would've still lived a rich, peaceful life,"** Rocinante slowed down in his writing. **"I could've escaped by myself. Law would've stayed in Mariejois and been raised without worrying about food, medicine, shelter, and money. But I was selfish and I took him with me…"** He looked at his brother straight in the eyes. "How…am I…different…from…Father?"

Doflamingo stared at the comparisons, not knowing how to respond. He wanted to defend his brother and not compare him to Homing, but the similarities were true.

* * *

 **I decided to end this chapter here. I think I'll just have this story focus on the emotional aspects.**

 **Maybe I'll make a sequel for the taking down the Celestial Dragons idea, but I still have other stories to work on.**

 **There's also the possibility of a collection of short stories surrounding Roci and Law. If I do write it, it'll have some terrible cliché name like** _ **Moments.**_

 **There'll be at least one more chapter left.**


End file.
